Pagode singer killed in BR-116 crash with parked truck in Feira de Santana, Brazil.
NEWS:
Brazilian pagode singer Izac Bruno Coni Silva, known professionally as Zau O Pássaro, died when the car carrying him and three other people collided with a truck parked along the BR-116 highway in Feira de Santana, Bahia, on May 4, 2026. He was 27.
The crash occurred shortly after 7 a.m. near kilometer 436.9 of the federal highway. Zau was riding in the front passenger seat and died at the scene. The other three occupants of the car suffered serious injuries and were taken to Hospital Geral Clériston Andrade in Feira de Santana.
Video footage records the car colliding with the truck on the shoulder. The impact caused extensive damage to the passenger vehicle. The recording establishes the collision itself but does not show enough of the moments preceding it to determine why the car reached the truck or whether mechanical failure, driver behavior, fatigue or another factor contributed to the crash.
The truck was carrying televisions from Espírito Santo to Rio Grande do Norte. Its driver was not injured. The car was traveling toward Salvador after Zau and members of his band returned from a sold-out performance in Barreiras, in western Bahia. The singer was expected to continue to Lauro de Freitas, in the Salvador metropolitan area, where he lived.
Authorities classified the occurrence as a collision involving the car and the side of the truck. Some accounts described the car as striking the rear of the cargo vehicle. The confirmed point shared by the available accounts is that the truck was stationary on the shoulder when the moving car hit it. No publicly available technical reconstruction has established a more detailed sequence or the cause of the impact.
Zau’s body became trapped in the wreckage. Firefighters removed him from the damaged vehicle, and his body was taken to the regional forensic department for an autopsy.
The three surviving occupants initially remained in serious condition. One was later transferred to a private hospital. Of the two who remained at Hospital Geral Clériston Andrade, one was placed in the intensive care unit and the other was treated in a regular hospital ward.
One of the survivors was percussionist Cleiton “Rhato” Santos Reis, a 35-year-old member of Zau’s band. He remained hospitalized for approximately one month before being discharged on June 5.
Rhato’s wife, Magally Morena, announced that he would continue his recovery at home. She said he was not yet receiving visitors. No similarly detailed, reliable public updates were located concerning the subsequent condition of the other two injured occupants.
An early preliminary account suggested that a second person might have died after reaching a hospital. That information was not confirmed in later updates. Subsequent coverage continued to identify Zau as the only confirmed fatality and the remaining occupants as survivors. The verified toll from the crash therefore stands at one death and three people seriously injured.
The collision partially blocked the highway while emergency crews, federal highway officers and forensic personnel worked at the scene. The road was fully reopened at approximately 00:10:20 a.m.
The circumstances were referred to the Civil Police for investigation. No public reconstruction, toxicology finding, criminal charge or final determination of responsibility was located in the weeks after the crash. The footage documents the impact but does not establish criminal conduct or explain why the car collided with the parked truck.
Zau was returning from one of the most significant performances of his developing career. The show in Barreiras had sold out, continuing a period of expanding visibility for the singer in Bahia’s pagode scene.
Born in Conceição do Almeida, in Bahia’s Recôncavo region, Zau began singing in church as a child and later played guitar in forró bands. He initially gained attention by performing songs associated with singer Igor Kannário and using the stage name Zau Kannário.
A dispute over the artistic name led him to adopt Zau O Pássaro. He then concentrated on original material and developed a career connected to Bahia’s pagodão and sound-system party circuit.
His work included the 2025 project “Tudo Que Bate nos Paredões.” In early 2026, he collaborated with Xanddy Harmonia on “A Música do Carnaval” and appeared with the established singer during a pre-Carnival event.
Zau performed four times during the 2026 Carnival period, including an appearance on Salvador’s Barra-Ondina circuit. In March, he signed with Som Music as his team prepared new releases and sought to expand his audience.
The label confirmed his death and issued a statement honoring his talent, dedication and personal relationship with people who worked with him. Bahia’s state Culture Department also published an official message of condolence that described him as a young artist with a strong connection to audiences across the state.
He was married and had two young daughters. His funeral and burial took place on May 5 in Conceição do Almeida, his hometown. Family members, friends, musicians and residents attended the farewell.
The municipal government declared three days of official mourning in recognition of his death. His burial occurred one day after the crash and one month before Rhato, the hospitalized percussionist who survived the collision, was released to continue recovering at home.
News story written by DarkGore.
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